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Do atheists celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas?

I was having this discussion in another site and wanted to bring it here.

I've been an "open atheist" for about 2 year now, and the holidays remain relatively the same for me and my family.

On Thanksgiving and Christmas we get together and have a great time.

So, how do I differ from Christians and other religions?

I take these holidays in a secular manner, thanksgiving is about giving thanks (NOT TO GOD) but to my family, friends, and acquaintances. Same with Christmas, I don't celebrate the birth of Jesus or anything religious, I see it as a family holiday where we get together and spend time with each other. Of course the rest of my family is still very christian and I don't go to holiday religious services with them, but I try very hard to restrain myself this time of year.....that means no debating about god or religion and just enjoying the season.

Anyways, to any other Atheist on here, I'd like to know if you celebrate these holidays, why or why not?

I've never seen thanksgiving as religious. No doubt many do and treat it as such, but I never got that. To me it's about the pilgrims' struggle to start a new life in a new world and the help they received from the natives. It's about remembering to be thankful. If that means thanking your god, awesome. If it's just a day to reflect on everything you've received from others in whatever corm, awesome. It's Thanksgiving, not Thank God Day.

Amber called her uncle, said "We're up here for the holiday,
Jane and I were having Solstice, now we need a place to stay."
And her Christ-loving uncle watched his wife hang Mary on a tree,
He watched his son hang candy canes all made with red dye number three.
He told his niece, "It's Christmas Eve, I know our life is not your style,"
She said, "Christmas is like Solstice, and we miss you and its been awhile,"

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
And just before the meal was served, hands were held and prayers were said,
Sending hope for peace on earth to all their gods and goddesses.

The food was great, the tree plugged in, the meal had gone without a hitch,
Till Timmy turned to Amber and said, "Is it true that you're a witch?"
His mom jumped up and said, "The pies are burning," and she hit the kitchen,
And it was Jane who spoke, she said, "It's true, your cousin's not a Christian,"
"But we love trees, we love the snow, the friends we have, the world we share,
And you find magic from your God, and we find magic everywhere."

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
And where does magic come from? I think magic's in the learning,
'Cause now when Christians sit with Pagans only pumpkin pies are burning.

When Amber tried to do the dishes, her aunt said, "Really, no, don't bother."
Amber's uncle saw how Amber looked like Tim and like her father.
He thought about his brother, how they hadn't spoken in a year,
He thought he'd call him up and say, "It's Christmas and your daughter's here."
He thought of fathers, sons and brothers, saw his own son tug his sleeve, saying,
"Can I be a Pagan?" Dad said, "We'll discuss it when they leave."

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
Lighting trees in darkness, learning new ways from the old, and
Making sense of history and drawing warmth out of the cold.

Thanksgiving to me is a day to give thanks for what I got and the trouble that I could have gotton into but didn't. Ultimately my thanks go to God but that is just me. As far as atheist not thanking God for on thanksgiving that's entirely up to them. There is enough food, football and things to be thankful for all of us regardless of religion or lack of one.

"Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here". Jack NicholsonThe true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity. ~André GideMy BucketHidden Content